The impact of de-tiering in the UK's large value payment system

Large-value payment systems (LVPS) often have a tiered structure where only a limited number of banks have direct access to these systems and every other institution accesses the system through agency arrangements with the direct participants. As such, a high degree of tiering is often perceived as being associated with credit and operational risks. In this paper we use data around five recent de-tiering events in the UK's LVPS (CHAPS) to assess the impact of de-tiering on these risks as well as on liquidity usage. We find that the impact of de-tiering is largest on credit risk, where average intraday exposures between first and second-tier banks drop by anywhere between £0.3 billion and £1.5 billion per bank, while the cost of insuring against losses arising from these exposures drops by about £4 million to £19 million per bank, per year. On the other hand, the impact of these de-tiering events on operational risk and liquidity usage appears to be economically small

Retroperitoneal cellular schwannoma (CS): a potential pitfall of malignancy. Report of a case and review of the literature

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Young Italians in European countries: social and economic perspective

The number of Italian youngsters (aged from 15 to 34 years old) residing in EU and EFTA countries numbered 758,000 at 1 January 2015. This figure was obtained from the official Consular Registry, which contains administrative records on Italians residing abroad. The Archive is of high statistical quality, being the result of the application of Law 459 of 27.12.2001, concerning the voting rights of Italian citizens living abroad. We analysed data on young Italians residing in EU and EFTA countries. Most of these youngsters live in Germany, Switzerland, France, Belgium and the UK. A very high percentage of youngsters of Italian nationality living abroad were born outside Italy (almost eighty per cent). The specific nature of the data source makes it possible to measure variables that are not always available, such as the Italian areas of origin, gender, type of activity performed (study, training or work) and family ties. We used regression models to study the patterns of residence abroad and the relationship between the immigration coutries and the specific areas of origin of young Italians. Moreover, the paper aims to describe the main demopgraphic features – such as educational level and occupational status – which affect on the choice of the destination country of Italian youngsters (Germany and Switzerland; France and UK; Spain and Belgium).Au 1er janvier 2015, le nombre de jeunes Italiens âgés de 15 à 34 ans résidant dans les pays de l’UE et de l’AELE s’élevait à 758 000. Ce chiffre a été obtenu auprès du registre consulaire officiel, qui regroupe des dossiers administratifs sur les Italiens résidant à l’étranger. Les archives présentent une qualité statistique élevée résultant de l’application de la loi n°459 du 27.12.2001 relative au droit de vote des citoyens italiens résidant à l’étranger. Nous avons analysé les données relatives aux jeunes Italiens résidant dans les pays de l’UE et de l’AELE. La plupart de ces jeunes vivent en Allemagne, en Suisse, en France, en Belgique et au Royaume-Uni. Un très fort pourcentage de ceux-ci (près de 80 %) sont nés à l’étranger. La nature spécifique de la source de données permet de mesurer des variables qui ne sont pas toujours disponibles, telles que les régions d’origine italienne, le sexe, le type d’activité exercée et les liens familiaux. Nous avons utilisé des modèles de régression logistique binaire pour analyser les flux migratoires existant entre des zones d’origine spécifiques en Italie et des pays comptant le plus grand nombre de jeunes émigrants italiens (Allemagne et Suisse, France et Royaume-Uni, Espagne et Belgique)

Evaluating Deep Learning-based Melanoma Classification using Immunohistochemistry and Routine Histology: A Three Center Study

Pathologists routinely use immunohistochemical (IHC)-stained tissue slides against MelanA in addition to hematoxylin and eosin (H&E)-stained slides to improve their accuracy in diagnosing melanomas. The use of diagnostic Deep Learning (DL)-based support systems for automated examination of tissue morphology and cellular composition has been well studied in standard H&E-stained tissue slides. In contrast, there are few studies that analyze IHC slides using DL. Therefore, we investigated the separate and joint performance of ResNets trained on MelanA and corresponding H&E-stained slides. The MelanA classifier achieved an area under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) of 0.82 and 0.74 on out of distribution (OOD)-datasets, similar to the H&E-based benchmark classification of 0.81 and 0.75, respectively. A combined classifier using MelanA and H&E achieved AUROCs of 0.85 and 0.81 on the OOD datasets. DL MelanA-based assistance systems show the same performance as the benchmark H&E classification and may be improved by multi stain classification to assist pathologists in their clinical routine

Quality of life, compliance, safety and effectiveness in fit older metastatic colorectal patients with cancer treated in first-line with chemotherapy plus cetuximab: A restrospective analysis from the ObservEr study

Abstract Objectives The influence of age ( KRAS wild type (WT) metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Methods 225 patients of the Observed study (PS 0-1) were retrieved based on age ( Results The two patient groups (141  p  = 0.002), which is likely due to higher proportions of metastatic resection (27.0% vs 8.3%; p  = 0.001) and utilization of second-line therapy in younger group (58.9% vs 42.9%; p  = 0.028). Conclusion The current data suggest that fit older patients with mCRC can be safely treated with a cetuximab-based therapy, as QoL and safety profile do not seem to be affected by age. In addition, age did not impact the choice of chemotherapy to be associated to cetuximab and treatment compliance

Biosafety in surgical pathology in the era of SARS-Cov2 pandemia. A statement of the Italian Society of Surgical Pathology and Cytology

Surgical pathology units face chemical and biological risks. While chemical risks have been intensely evaluated since the formalin ban, less attention has been drown to biological risks. The actual epidemiologic situation due to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemia has raised a series of questions, which need to be addressed as soon as possible. We have to pursue two lines of action: on one hand we must immediately adopt urgent measures to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection of laboratory personnel, and on the other hand, we must address crucial technical and organizational aspects of biological risk reduction, preserving as much as possible the quality of tissue and cell samples. The evaluation of biological risk is an analytical process which involves different steps: a) characterization of the hazard (also known as risk assessment) and b) definition of a risk reduction strategy (also known as risk mitigation) 1. Risk assessment implies a) the identification of the intrinsic biologic characteristics of the infectious agent, and b) the identification of the laboratory procedures related to the agent. The intrinsic biologic characteristics of infectious agents are classified in 4 risk groups (RG) by the laboratory biosafety manual of the WHO 2. The RG range from level 1 (RG1) which includes microorganisms that are unlikely to cause human or animal disease, to level 4 (RG4) which includes pathogens which cause serious diseases, that can be readily transmitted from one individual to another, and for which effective treatment and preventive measures are not usually available. Risk mitigation includes the definition of the appropriate a) level of biosafety of the laboratory, b) type of personal protection equipment (PPE), c) type of infrastructure and equipment, and d) education of involved personnel. Laboratory biosafety is graded in 4 levels (BSL-1 to BSL-4) as exhaustively described in the laboratory biosafety manual of the WHO 2, and these levels are usually also defined by law (in Italy by the D. Lgs. 81/2008). BSL are a series of protections, which include individual safeguards designed to protect laboratory personnel, as well as the surrounding environment and community. The biosafety level required in laboratories derives from the characterization of the risk, and is not automatically derived from the risk group to which the pathogenic agent belongs. It is obvious that the biosafety level for a laboratory which cultivates a RG3 agent, will be higher than the level needed for a laboratory which performs diagnostic tests on inactivated biomaterials on the same agent. Specific checklists, derived from the WHO laboratory biosafety manual, which in Italy are also defined by the National Institute of Labor Safety Insurance (Istituto Nazionale Assicurazione Infortuni sul Lavoro) in its 6th Fascicle published in 2010 3 are necessary to verify the compliance of a given laboratory with the required biosafety level

The RS Oph outburst of 2021 monitored in X-rays with NICER

The 2021 outburst of the symbiotic recurrent nova RS Oph was monitored with the Neutron Star Interior Composition Explorer Mission (NICER) in the 0.2-12 keV range from day one after the optical maximum, until day 88, producing an unprecedented, detailed view of the outburst development. The X-ray flux preceding the supersoft X-ray phase peaked almost 5 days after optical maximum and originated only in shocked ejecta for 21 to 25 days. The emission was thermal; in the first 5 days only a non-collisional-ionization equilibrium model fits the spectrum, and a transition to equilibrium occurred between days 6 and 12. The ratio of peak X-rays flux measured in the NICER range to that measured with Fermi in the 60 MeV-500 GeV range was about 0.1, and the ratio to the peak flux measured with H.E.S.S. in the 250 GeV-2.5 TeV range was about 100. The central supersoft X-ray source (SSS), namely the shell hydrogen burning white dwarf (WD), became visible in the fourth week, initially with short flares. A huge increase in flux occurred on day 41, but the SSS flux remained variable. A quasi-periodic oscillation every ~35 s was always observed during the SSS phase, with variations in amplitude and a period drift that appeared to decrease in the end. The SSS has characteristics of a WD of mass >1 M(solar). Thermonuclear burning switched off shortly after day 75, earlier than in 2006 outburst. We discuss implications for the nova physics.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa

Dermoscopy Improves Accuracy of Primary Care Physicians to Triage Lesions Suggestive of Skin Cancer

PURPOSE: Primary care physicians (PCPs) constitute an appropriate target for new interventions and educational campaigns designed to increase skin cancer screening and prevention. The aim of this randomized study was to determine whether the adjunct of dermoscopy to the standard clinical examination improves the accuracy of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: PCPs in Barcelona, Spain, and Naples, Italy, were given a 1-day training course in skin cancer detection and dermoscopic evaluation, and were randomly assigned to the dermoscopy evaluation arm or naked-eye evaluation arm. During a 16-month period, 73 physicians evaluated 2,522 patients with skin lesions who attended their clinics and scored individual lesions as benign or suggestive of skin cancer. All patients were re-evaluated by expert dermatologists at clinics for pigmented lesions. Referral accuracy of both PCP groups was calculated by their scores, which were compared to those tabulated for dermatologists. RESULTS: Referral sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values were 54.1%, 71.3%, 11.3%, and 95.8%, respectively, in the naked-eye arm, and 79.2%, 71.8%, 16.1%, and 98.1%, respectively, in the dermoscopy arm. Significant differences were found in terms of sensitivity and negative predictive value (P = .002 and P = .004, respectively). Histopathologic examination of equivocal lesions revealed 23 malignant skin tumors missed by PCPs performing naked-eye observation and only six by PCPs using dermoscopy (P = .002). CONCLUSION: The use of dermoscopy improves the ability of PCPs to triage lesions suggestive of skin cancer without increasing the number of unnecessary expert consultations